Best Burgers in Philly: Honorable Mentions

By Danya Henninger | August 26, 2014

Credit: Danya Henninger

We just released the results of our big Burger Survey. However, there are tons of other burgers in Philly (seriously, it’s news when a chef *doesn’t* put a burger on the menu), and lots of them are good, or even great. Flip through for a shout-out to voter picks that just missed the top 10.

Cult Favorites

Some burgers haven’t gotten enough exposure yet to get widespread acclaim, but those who have tried them rate them at the top of the chart. “Perfectly balanced!” writes one voter of the Rex 1516 pimento burger, and many exclamation points and caps (e.g. “DAMN!!!”) were used to laud the burger at Supper. Fat Jack’s BBQ's bacon cheeseburger, meanwhile, is like “a small taste of heaven.”

Credit: Danya Henninger

Write-In Winners

We had to narrow our list to 30 picks, but there was room for voters to write in their favorites. Several gave props to the Angus double burger at Sumo Steaks, which has “a lot of meat, but not too much” and is a great value. The Rouge burger landed in the top 10, but cousin 500 Degrees had several write-in fans, and just around the corner, the Border Springs lamb burger at Avance also got audience nominations.

Just Missed the Cut

It’s almost harder to know you were really close to a win than flub it entirely, but Alla Spina’s Big Mac ode Burgamo was just decimal points away from making it into the top 10. Also very close were the build-you-own deal at Kraftwork, the cheeseburger at Johnny Brenda’s and the double patties at Pub & Kitchen.

Credit: Danya Henninger

All-Time Classics

Some burgers are so good that they don’t ever change, and that’s a good thing. Such is the case with the burger at Charlie’s out in Folsom, which has been around for nearly 80 years. “Authenticity. Lack of presumption. Greasiness,” said one voter, and that about sums it up. Although Good Dog’s blue-cheese-stuffed patty is but a decade old, it also gets the same kind of faithful love.

Credit: Danya Henninger

Hangover Helpers

When is a burger not a burger? When you slap an egg on it and call it brunch. Write-in voters called out a few of these hybrid meals, including the pork-belly-addled version at Smokin' Betty’s and the appropriately named Hangover Burger at MilkBoy, which kickstarts your day with Thai chile mayo and pickled peppers. And although it doesn’t have an egg, the cheese-drenched Mighty Joe Young Burger at Three Monkeys Cafe in the Northeast has chunks of pork roll stuffed inside.